Native Languages of the Americas: Mohican Indian Legends and Stories

This is our collection of links to Mahican stories and folktales that can be read online.
We have indexed our Native American legends section
by tribe to make them easier to locate; however, variants on the same
legend are often told by American Indians from different tribes, especially if those tribes are kinfolk or neighbors to
each other. In particular, though these legends come from the Mohicans, the traditional stories of
related tribes like the Pequot and
Wampanoag are very similar.

Enjoy the stories! If you would like to recommend a Mohican story for this page or think one of the ones on here
should be removed, please let us know.

Click on each character's name for more detailed information about his or her role in Mohican mythology.

Waunthut Mennitoow
(also spelled Wauntht Mennitow and other ways):
This means "Great Spirit" in the Mohican language, and is the most common name used for
the Creator (God.) Waunthut Mennitoow is a divine spirit with no human form or attributes
(including gender) and is not personified in Stockbridge/Mahican legends.

Moskim:
Rabbit, a benevolent but somewhat foolish culture hero of Mohican folklore. Not many stories about Moskim
are still told today, but he seems to have shared some similarities with other Algonquian heroes such as the Wabanaki
Glooskap, Anishinabe
Nanabozho, and Cree
Wisakedjak. "Moskim" is pronounced moh-skeem.

Atlantow:
The manitow (spirit) of death. A destructive, often evil being usually in opposition to
Waunthut Mennitoow. After the introduction of Christianity, Mohican people
frequently identified Atlantow with the Devil. Sometimes also known as Matantu (the
name for the same character in the language of the neighboring Delaware tribe.)

Pukwudgies:
Magical little people of the forest. In some Mohican tales they are mischievous but benign and may help people who treat them
kindly, but in others, they can be dangerous and capricious and are best to be avoided.